Why Does Lager Come in 330ml Bottles but 500ml Cans?

[Benengo]

With the exception of Indian restaurants, lager always seems to come in 330 ml (or occasionally 275 ml) bottles. However the majority of cans are 500ml and unless you're on a plane rarely do you see stubby cans. beer doesn't seem to have a problem with 500 ml or above... Anyone know why?

[Slink]

nope, but I tend to buy the pint cans of Carlsberg anyway, but I dont drink beer that often so cannot answer your answer, try emailing a brewery

[Evoluzione]

Maybe it's down to cost, big bottles being too expensive?

[wijit]

I don't know if it's still the case, but the pressurisation required for 500ml bottles is far greater meaning the strength of glass would be greater and therefore more expensive.

[Pickled]

wijit said:

I don't know if it's still the case, but the pressurisation required for 500ml bottles is far greater meaning the strength of glass would be greater and therefore more expensive.

I've heard something similar, Newcastle Brown Ale bottles are nigh on unbreakable! Then you have the added weight of the glass, which impacts on the transport.

[vsonix]

One thing that struck me as odd when I moved back to Devon from London is the prevalence of smaller 440ml cans here, and the fact they seem to cost the same as - or more than - the proper 500ml ones.

[Slink]

wijit said:

I don't know if it's still the case, but the pressurisation required for 500ml bottles is far greater meaning the strength of glass would be greater and therefore more expensive.

why then, do champagne/bubbly wine bottles not explode??

i know some of them are pretty thick but i dont think much thicker than a beer bottle.

[rpguk]

I generally find that the supermarkets will do 440ml cans with proper offies doing 500ml cans.

[jet_noise]

Dear B,

PH response: Because lager is for girls.

But seriously I have no idea.
There are, however, lagers which are usually available in man-size (there I go again) bottles such as Budweiser Budvar (the original one not the US water) or Pilsner Urquell,

regards,
Jet

[Gruffy]

Economics. Glass is more expensive (to produce, transport and display).

[LordGrover]

Proper man's brown beer is typically in 500ml bottles.

[Gren]

vsonix said:

One thing that struck me as odd when I moved back to Devon from London is the prevalence of smaller 440ml cans here, and the fact they seem to cost the same as - or more than - the proper 500ml ones.

They all used to be like that. The 500s used to be 'extra fill' promotions.....at first

[sherman]

Cans of lager/beer are easier to store in bulk. You end up with a lot of unused space with bottles. You need a bit of cardboard between each layer with bottles where cans are designed to stack on top of each other.

Also a 500ml bottle is taller than a pint can so when you are racking them up in the pub you have to have bigger gaps between each shelf and lose selling space where as a 330ml bottle is about the same height as a pint can.

[CR0X]

As someone who sells glass bottles to many many breweries, the size of the bottle used is affected by many factors:

1. Price point for RRP
2. On vs off trade (see 1.)
3. Selling format - bulk pack or individual bottles

There is obviously a cost difference between 275, 330 and 500ml but in reality not that significant in terms of the price points.

[oddman]

Slink said:

why then, do champagne/bubbly wine bottles not explode??

i know some of them are pretty thick but i dont think much thicker than a beer bottle.

Much thicker
Beer bottles are quite thin

[wijit]

oddman said:

Slink said:

why then, do champagne/bubbly wine bottles not explode??

i know some of them are pretty thick but i dont think much thicker than a beer bottle.

Much thicker
Beer bottles are quite thin

^^ What he said. Plus the grade of glass is far higher. There is also an awful lot of time invested in design. Believe it or not, the food industry spends many millions in making packaging both cost effective and viable.